Rayman Legends - Wii U

Game Description:Rayman, named platformer of the year and winner of multiple artistic and musical achievements, is coming to the Wii U with a brand new adventure. Michel Ancel, celebrated creator of Rayman®, Beyond Good & Evil® and the Raving Rabbids® is bringing his innovative creativity to this new and exciting platform. Rayman Legends makes full use of the power of the Wii U. With the new Wii U controller, discover new ways to platform with its touch-based gameplay, gyroscope technology, and even the ability to extend your playing experience when the TV is off. Additionally, the power of the machine has helped pave the way for new, more detailed graphics and lighting.

Platforming has never looked as good as it does in Rayman Legends. The whimsical adventure game was recently unveiled by Ubisoft during E3 2012, and after our first hands-on demo with the Wii U version of the beautiful game, we were blown away by its simple yet elegant controls, sound, and of course, top-notch visuals.

If you've played Rayman Origins, the controls will feel similar in Legends. During our demo, the person playing Rayman used the Wii U Pro Controller, which looks and feels like a Xbox 360 controller but with both joysticks on top, to control him. The person controlling Murphy, Rayman's little green helper frog-fairy, used the Wii U GamePad.

Like in Origins, Rayman can run, jump, kick, punch, glide, and swim in order to collect Lums, but he'll need the help of Murphy to overcome certain obstacles. For example, when I was playing as Murphy, I had to cut several ropes holding up logs in order to make a bridge for Rayman to cross. There were also times when I had to use the Wii U's gyroscope controls to rotate obstacles so Rayman could pass under or over them.

The platforming in Legends isn't your standard run and jump fare. Lots of movement is timed to the amazing score, probably composed by Rayman Origins composer Christophe Héral in conjunction with Billy Martin. Blaring trumpets, electric beats, roaring dragons, and smick-smacks of punches can be heard as you roam through each level.

As for the player controlling Murphy, they get to solve the more complex puzzles, rather than platforming through the game. Murphy can raise platforms, tilt twisty spike mazes as Rayman makes his way through, and even shoo away pesky fire-ghosts so they couldn't harm Rayman. He's pretty handy, that Murphy.

The end of the demo was a fast-paced race to the finish, set to the beat of a quick rock song. With every beat of the drum, Rayman would have to jump over a set of spikes. These special touches make the game stand out above Rayman Origins, and we're excited to see more from Ubisoft Montreal and Rayman Legends in the coming months.

Rayman Legends will be released during the Wii U's launch window according to Nintendo.